Sonia Sotomayor caught flak during the confirmation process for lackluster writing. In a June article for Mother Jones, reporter Stephanie Mencimer goes so far as to suggest that Sotomayor’s turgid prose might limit her influence on the Supreme Court.

Her persistence in overcoming her writing difficulties is an inspiring example for struggling student writers, especially second language learners. It should also hearten their professors. Now a history professor at Tufts, Peter Winn remembers mentoring Sotomayor at Princeton as she developed from a “tentative teenager” to a “wise Latina.” Had he only divined her future, he says, he would have taken “detailed notes” about their work together!